“WHAT A FIRST HIERARCH! WHAT A LEADER!”
“What a First Hierarch! What a leader!”
Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov’s congratulatory sermon on the occasion of Met. Hilarion’s 10th anniversary as First Hierarch of ROCOR.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Christ is Risen!
Today is a special moment, which marks ten years of Metropolitan Hilarion's primacy over the Church Abroad. We do not bring this up simply because it is proper to do so, but because the Metropolitan is someone that the Lord God has given us in His mercy. Vladyka Hilarion belongs to a set of people with very exceptional gifts: he feels no resentment, makes no demands, and boasts of nothing. His kindness does not allow him to utter an unpleasant word to anyone.
There was a large conference in Jordanville, many people came, and there was no room left. We arrived late from New York. I asked Vladyka where I could spend the night, and he replied, Do not worry; you can stay the night in my cell. We came up to his cell, which had a small cot in it; I spent the night on that cot. Even other bishops did not have that luxury. The next morning, I found out that Vladyka Hilarion had spent the night in the print-shop, on the floor. What a First Hierarch! What a leader!
And thus, today, honoring Vladyka Hilarion on the decennial of his primacy, we must all understand the kind of man God has sent us, and rejoice. You know, many of us do not know this: when elections of high-ranking officials take place, there can be infighting, all manner of repugnant political moves made behind the scenes, you have read or heard of this. But when the time came to elect Vladyka Hilarion, there were no opponents! And thus Vladyka became First Hierarch, peacefully. This did not change his character or his attitude even for a moment. He is simple, kind, loving, gentle. So simple is this man, that when he was appointed to New York, a group of babushkas coalesced around him, in need of various things. Vladyka would gather these things together and go through New York City, distributing them to these old women in need. Quietly, calmly, unassumingly.
I have had many dozens of official interactions with Vladyka. I do not remember a single time when he would argue with me, but would calmly counsel the best course of action. And so, with my whole heart, like many of you, I respect and love our First Hierarch. Today, all of the archpastors and guests are coming together [in Synod]; they will greet him, offer eloquent words, but the wisest one of them would say, Brothers and sisters, we have achieved much in our lives, strove for much; sometimes we succeeded easily, other times with difficulty. But Vladyka Hilarion, out of all of us, has a marvelous quality: he is simple, he is capable of being a simple person. This we treasure, as we recall his life today. He has done so much good: quietly, unassumingly, beautifully, silently, kindheartedly, that we will never forget his.
May the Lord God grant him strength and health to continue to labor as long as possible in the Lord's Vineyard. May we, Orthodox people, look at such leaders, and try at least to some extent to copy their lives. And only then we will we obtain true simplicity, without which we cannot live.
RUSSIA: MOSCOW: BELIEVERS FLOCK TO WITNESS A WEEPING ICON
Russian/Nat
Orthodox believers are flocking to a Moscow church to witness what many say is a minor miracle - a weeping icon of Russia's murdered Tsar Nicholas the Second.
Archpriest Vasily Golovanov of the Ascension Church in the Russian capital claims the icon oozes a steady flow of myrrh practically every day.
Golovanov says this evidence of a miracle is enough to qualify the murdered Russian Tsar for canonisation.
This is the Ascension Church in the Russian capital, Moscow.
It is here that Orthodox believers have been flocking to witness a weeping icon of Russia's murdered Tsar Nicholas the Second.
Many believe it is a minor miracle.
Archpriest Vasily Golovanov claims the icon oozes a steady flow of myrrh almost every day.
The myrrh, an oily amber-coloured substance, is said to have a subtle smell which is more noticeable on days when services are held for the murdered royal family.
One parishioner is convinced it is a miracle.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
One of the miraculous events you can see here in this church is a miraculous evaporating fog which appears on the glass. The icon makes miracles.
SUPER CAPTION: Parishioner
The Russian Orthodox Church stipulates proof of a miracle as one of its conditions for sainthood.
So far, the icon has received no official recognition from the Russian Orthodox Church and its leader, Patriarch Alexi the Second.
But Alexi is believed to have given his blessing for the icon to be displayed in this Moscow church.
The priest says an elderly parishioner took the icon of Tsar Nicholas to the church on November 7 last year - the anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
The icon came to us during a service on the evening of the 7th. They brought it to the church. It smelt very strongly. It really is a miraculous phenomenon. It's inexplicable by physical laws.
SUPER CAPTION: Archpriest Vasily Golovanov
Since then, hundreds of witnesses are said to have witnessed the flowing myrrh.
Golovanov says this evidence of a miracle should be enough to qualify the murdered Russian royal family for canonisation.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
It's an encouraging signal. Russia must be reborn around the Orthodox Church and the Tsar.
SUPER CAPTION: Archpriest Vasily Golovanov
Nicholas the Second and the Russian royal family were gunned down in a cellar in the town Yekaterinburg in July 1918.
Their bones were finally buried in a ceremony in St Petersburg last summer.
APT
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Ascension Vesper Service, Greek Orthodox Church of Our Savior, Rye, New York
June 02
Reading:
The Lord Jesus passed forty days on earth after His Resurrection from the dead, appearing continually in various places to His disciples, with whom He also spoke, ate, and drank, thereby further demonstrating His Resurrection. On this Thursday, the fortieth day after Pascha, He appeared again in Jerusalem. After He had first spoken to the disciples about many things, He gave them His last commandment, that is, that they go forth and proclaim His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. But He also commanded them that for the present, they were not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait there together until they receive power from on high, when the Holy Spirit would come upon them.
Saying these things, He led them to the Mount of Olives, and raising His hands, He blessed them; and saying again the words of the Father's blessing, He was parted from them and taken up. Immediately a cloud of light, a proof of His majesty, received Him. Sitting thereon as though on a royal chariot, He was taken up into Heaven, and after a short time was concealed from the sight of the disciples, who remained where they were with their eyes fixed on Him. At this point, two Angels in the form of men in white raiment appeared to them and said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven (Acts 1:11). These words, in a complete and concise manner, declare what is taught in the Symbol of Faith concerning the Son and Word of God. Therefore, having so fulfilled all His dispensation for us, our Lord Jesus Christ ascended in glory into Heaven, and sat at the right hand of God the Father. As for His sacred disciples, they returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, rejoicing because Christ had promised to send them the Holy Spirit.
It should be noted that the Mount of Olives is a Sabbath's day journey from Jerusalem, that is, the distance a Jew was permitted to walk on the day of the Sabbath. Ecumenius writes, A Sabbath day's journey is one mile in length, as Clement says in his fifth Stromatis; it is two thousand cubits, as the Interpretation of the Acts states. They draw this conclusion from the fact that, while they were in the wilderness, the Israelites of old kept within this distance from the Holy Tabernacle, whither they walked on the Sabbath day to worship God.
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PRODUCER: Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese ROCOR
eadiocese.org
All-Night Vigil in Holy Dormition Convent Novo-Diveevo in Nanuet, NY on October 12, 2012 - during the Joint Pastoral Conference of the Eastern American Diocese and Moscow Patriarchate in honor of the 5th anniversary of the Reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church. All-Night Vigil led by the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, His Eminence, HILARION, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York. Sung by a joint male choir of Holy Trinity Seminary and St. Tikhon's Seminary.
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Grieving relatives visit Ukrainian crash site, mourning day in Russia
Sukha Balka, Ukraine
1. Wide of buses carrying relatives arriving at crash site
2. Various of relatives gathered behind police cordon
3. Cutaway of emergency workers
4. Pull out from gathered relatives to wide of crash site
5. Ukrainian flag with black ribbon attached
6. Various of plane debris and emergency workers
7. Close-up of floral tribute
8. Pan up from flowers to wide of scene
9. Grieving woman throwing sweets in direction of crash site
10. Pile of floral and toy tributes at scene
11. Various photographs of victims
12. Wooden cross with black ribbon attached
Moscow, Russia
13. Wide of Kremlin
14. Kremlin with Russian flag at half-mast
15. Wide of street scene, pan to Church of Ascension
16. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Irina, Moscow resident:
This is horrible, of course. We always wait for August with fear, because it is a horrible month for our country. We felt dreadful, I searched for surnames of my acquaintances in the list of passengers. (Everybody) is deeply sorry, it's a horrible month.
17. Wide of church service mourning victims of the plane crash
18. Priest praying for victims
19. Congregation praying
20. Various of congregation lighting candles
21. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Father Alexey, priest of the Church of Ascension:
We grieve and pray, we will ask God not to let such air catastrophes happen. We will ask God not to let people suffer such a horrible death, although we do understand that everything is in God's hands.
22. Close-up church dome
STORYLINE:
Grieving relatives on Thursday visited the scorched field where a Russian passenger jet crashed, and prepared to begin identifying the 170 killed in Ukraine's worst aviation accident.
Some 100 relatives travelled in a bus convoy to the crash site, where they were assisted by medical personnel and Orthodox priests.
Some carried children's toys and flowers, which they left near the wooden cross and a small stone monument.
The plane had been flying from Anapa, a holiday destination on the Russian Black Sea coast, to St. Petersburg.
The pilot of the flight sent repeated distress signals during a severe thunderstorm before the Pulkovo Airlines' Tu-154 disappeared off radar screens on Tuesday and crashed near the city of Donetsk.
Investigators into the crash focused on weather conditions, including lightning and turbulence, as the possible cause for the crash, which killed all aboard, including 45 children.
The two flight recorders, which were found on Wednesday, were dispatched to Moscow for analysis.
Russia marked Thursday as a day of mourning for the victims of the flight, with flags at the Kremlin flying at half-mast.
(Everybody) is deeply sorry, it's a horrible month, said Irina, one Moscow resident, referring to local superstition that bad things occur mostly in August in Russia.
Some Russians also attended church services for the victims.
The crash was the third in Russia or involving a Russian airline this year, raising concerns about the flight-worthiness of the civilian air fleet in the ex-Soviet Union.
Keyword- aircraft crash - aviation
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